How To Get My Car Serviced in Front of Me?


Thread Starter #1
Joined
May 23, 2013
Messages
342
Likes
74
Location
IND
I have a honda city which is due for service soon.
I have a very simple question.
Can i stay with my car the entire time it is serviced.Many times the service
center guys say that it is not allowed for customers to enter in the service area or something like that.Is there any such rule?
How can I get my car serviced in front of me and convince the service centre guys to let me do the same?
Note : The car will be serviced at HASS.i cannot go anywhere except honda ASS because in my city it is very difficult to find outside garages which are familiar with any brands except maruti.

I am sure ppl who love their cars and can take out time for them will find this very useful.
 
Joined
Feb 27, 2013
Messages
3,779
Likes
1,335
Location
Bangalore
Re: How to get my car serviced in front of me??

I have a honda city which is due for service soon.
I have a very simple question.
Can i stay with my car the entire time it is serviced.Many times the service
center guys say that it is not allowed for customers to enter in the service area or something like that.Is there any such rule?
How can I get my car serviced in front of me and convince the service centre guys to let me do the same?
Note : The car will be serviced at HASS.i cannot go anywhere except honda ASS because in my city it is very difficult to find outside garages which are familiar with any brands except maruti.

I am sure ppl who love their cars and can take out time for them will find this very useful.
My previous experiences with Hyundai, Tata and Maruti, I simply walk into the service area despite of SEs disapproving same. If they tell anything I say "...then this is the last time I am coming to your garage" [:D]
 
Thread Starter #3
Joined
May 23, 2013
Messages
342
Likes
74
Location
IND
Re: How To Get Photo Serviced in Front of Me?

My previous experiences with Hyundai, Tata and Maruti, I simply walk into the service area despite of SEs disapproving same. If they tell anything I say "...then this is the last time I am coming to your garage
One question i have , i have seen ppl in many automotive forums stating that they stayed in the customer lounge and visited the service area time to time or that ppl always get the entire service in front of them etc.
How do they do so?

if anyone follows this practice on this forum please tell us how do you do so ?

As for what you have said-

i agree with simply walking into their service centre without asking is the way to go.
But i dont intend to be rude with them.The reason being i am 21 years old ( and look 18 ) and ppl who are doing the work are always above my age , i have tried being rude with them but ppl do not react well on being bossed about by a teenager.Beleive me they always think that we are just ameteurs and i can never get my work done in this way.I prefer to be very polite and focus only on getting my work done in this way rather than talking harshly and not getting anything done at all.On the other hand i have seen my father getting a little rude to get the work done and it always work with the very same people.

I know this by experience.
Also honda ASS (unlike maruti & hyundai ) know that there are very little options with their customers as far as going to other garages is cocerned.

A little OT: I have seen many SA's / accessories owners talk plain **** and remain quiet as long i or my vehicle is not concerned.For eg-
" honda city has the same engine as jazz "-honda SA
" honda brio is superior than ritz because it has variable valve technology not found in other cars"-honda SA
" honda is far better than maruti-period" - honda SA
Whatever they have is the best everything else is - accessories ppl
3d kagu mats, 3M ppf film,meguiars - never heard of them but still they will say they are useless
-accessories ppl

Sorry for going OT.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Joined
Jun 13, 2013
Messages
794
Likes
355
Location
Chennai
Re: How To Get Photo Serviced in Front of Me?

I have a honda city which is due for service soon.
I have a very simple question.
Can i stay with my car the entire time it is serviced.Many times the service
center guys say that it is not allowed for customers to enter in the service area or something like that.Is there any such rule?
How can I get my car serviced in front of me and convince the service centre guys to let me do the same?
Note : The car will be serviced at HASS.i cannot go anywhere except honda ASS because in my city it is very difficult to find outside garages which are familiar with any brands except maruti.

I am sure ppl who love their cars and can take out time for them will find this very useful.
Today I was there more than 2 hours in the service area of Maruti service center. Even they took me to washing area also I was able to go to painting area. I saw more than 30 accident cars lying at their backyard. I was watching them serviceing my Ertiga. Even it was helpful to give my suggessions to fix some issues. The SA himself took me there.
 
Last edited:
Thread Starter #5
Joined
May 23, 2013
Messages
342
Likes
74
Location
IND
Re: How To Get Photo Serviced in Front of Me?

Great, any suggestions so that we can get the same treatment.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Joined
Jul 2, 2013
Messages
30
Likes
6
Location
Mangalore/Bangalore
A few of the service centres have lounges which overlooks the service area. This facilty is not available everywhere though.
When I give my Getz for service, I just walk to the service area. if anybody stops me I say '2 mins'. A colleague of mine who owns a vista is so particular about his car that he takes a day off from work to spend the day at the service centre.
 
Joined
Jun 13, 2013
Messages
794
Likes
355
Location
Chennai
Re: How To Get Photo Serviced in Front of Me?

Great, any suggestions so that we can get the same treatment.
Hey Petroholic nothing in special. I went to a new service center and first thing I told was that I was not happy with previous service done in another cervice center. I was then considered special and they started listening to me and noting down what ever issues I said. Then SA himself took tme to the sevice area with my car. There they started to work on my car took it to water wash area and did a forced air blow in interirors and then started doing water wash after then they brought to the jack and lifted high and started removing the tyres to rotate them. Then they had a checklist from which they did check it and started marking it. After which I left home. In the evening I went to collect my LUV and that we had rain here and my LUV looked like hit by acid rain and told SA to get it cleaned. Again he took me along to wash rack and did a wash. Then I found the biege seats had lubicant hand marks [frustration] asked them to clear it. Myself and SA then took for a test drive.
 
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Messages
8,137
Likes
1,790
Location
Hyderabad
@PH

I normally walk inside the service Area when I feel like and if some body stop me, then I will tell them that I going to see my car, then they keep quite and some suggest me to sit in the lounge and watch the car serviced from there as the lounge has a big glass area where you can see your car getting serviced from far[:)].

As far as I know there is no such rule that you should not enter the service area, but if everybody start doing so, then there will be lot of disturbance for the guys who are doing the service, so they normally avoid this. In that case you can just talk to the works manager before giving the car for service that you want to see in person, then most of the times they oblige your request as a good gesture to customers, but strict on not to disturb other guys over there and just mind your job
 
Joined
Apr 4, 2012
Messages
2,524
Likes
250
Location
Mumbai
I know exactly what you are talking about.The age thing surely makes them treat you like a kid.

Just be polite yet assertive.Show that you are concerned about your car and wish to understand the service procedure first hand.If they say you are not permitted go with what Anshuman said.

The SA's don't like you asking too many questions to the workers/technicians because you can gauge the actual depth of their knowledge.Sad part is that the workers/technicians know more than the SA's and sometimes more than the proprietors too.If you want the dirty details of what car is better than what and first hand experience of the nitty gritty stuff,who better to ask than the people who fix them.Try to be friendly with the workers/technicians.
 
Thread Starter #10
Joined
May 23, 2013
Messages
342
Likes
74
Location
IND
Thanks for the reply guys.
I feel I will have to go there and see how it turns out.
I have no intention of disturbing anyone.
I just want to see what is actually done and what is not in my car.
I am actually pretty sure only a fraction of the work that is stated in the manual is done by these guys.
I just want to see what they are missing out and i can get those things done at a trusted workshop.

My car will soon be 7 years old ( done only 27k ), although it is in very good condition, i want to give it a thorough checkup ( a royal treatment[:D] ) since i am free from my college right now and have some free time.

Any advice on what to checkup in a 7 year old car with just 27k clocked to bring it to almost showroom condition.
I will soon be uploading further details in the ownership thread .
 
Joined
Apr 4, 2012
Messages
2,524
Likes
250
Location
Mumbai
Get all the engine bolts torqued.Check for any leaks in and around the engine.Get the car up on a lift and check below the engine and gearbox area.Check for any contacts with humps on the road.This damage usually goes unnoticed.

Check the drive shafts, the exhaust pipe mountings.Check the front and rear axles and suspension components.

Check the brake components.
 
Joined
Jan 9, 2012
Messages
180
Likes
2
Location
Bangalore
Hi Petroholic,

Its obvious for any person who loves his car to take utmost care of it and you are right in doing it. Well when I leave my car to service I stay near the car throughout the service is done to see how things are done. Since I do this on routing the Service Center guys know me well now[:D]. So if someone is trying to stop you from visiting the wash area or any service area might be due to two reasons one being you might get dirty or they might try to goof up, so its your call to go or not go. And as Gurrala74 sir said even in my service center we have a customer lounge with big transparent glass to view what is happening on the car. So as a customer you have 100% rights to go anywhere and everywhere your car is taken. [thumbswink]

Drive Sane
Santosh
 
Joined
Feb 27, 2013
Messages
3,779
Likes
1,335
Location
Bangalore
@Petroholic, your wish comes true. Toyota has introduced new express service in Bangalore and you can watch them doing it[clap]

See below.
 

Attachments

Thread Starter #14
Joined
May 23, 2013
Messages
342
Likes
74
Location
IND
@Petroholic, your wish comes true. Toyota has introduced new express service in Bangalore and you can watch them doing it
These type of services have come up from various manufacturers before though under different names.
I have read at many places not to go in for any type of express service as it increases the carelessness of the workers.Seems a valid point.Workers tend to do the minimum possible work in regular services,Think what will happen if you put a time constraint on them too...

Its obvious for any person who loves his car to take utmost care of it and you are right in doing it. Well when I leave my car to service I stay near the car throughout the service is done to see how things are done. Since I do this on routing the Service Center guys know me well now. So if someone is trying to stop you from visiting the wash area or any service area might be due to two reasons one being you might get dirty or they might try to goof up, so its your call to go or not go. And as Gurrala74 sir said even in my service center we have a customer lounge with big transparent glass to view what is happening on the car. So as a customer you have 100% rights to go anywhere and everywhere your car is taken.
I agree it is my right to see what is happening on my car.I just didnt want to fight/argue with ppl at the service station so was asking for some ways to get my work done without any such unnecessary complications.
Afterall there are many ppl on automotive forums who carry out this practice.
 
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Messages
1,436
Likes
100
Location
Ghaziabad
Sorry for late entry into thread.

I refrain myself from entering workshop floor just to avoid any disturbance to workmen and also to ensure I am not fiddling with other's car. Accidents happen, and I don't want them to happen coz of me.

If I had been an owner of a car workshop, I would not allow any customer to peep into workshop area, after all I have responsibility towards other customers' cars too.

My advice is- If SA allows you to get inside at first instance, its alright, but if not then please do not argue with him.
 

Top Bottom